Benatar hits Artpark with her best shot on July 5

by jmaloni

Tue, Jun 28th 2011 02:20 pm

Four-time Grammy-winner and Neil Giraldo headline free show

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo top off the Fourth of July
holiday weekend by headlining "First Niagara presents Tuesday in the Park" at
Artpark on July 5. The free concert kicks off with the Niagara Falls Air
Reserve Station special opening ceremony, which will include a color guard, the
national anthem, and a flyover of the air base's C130 aircraft at 6 p.m.

Benatar is acknowledged as a leading female rock vocalist
of the '80s. She is known for hits such as "Love Is a Battlefield," "Hit Me
With Your Best Shot," "We Live For Love," and "Heartbreaker." During that
decade, she was nominated nine times for Grammy Awards for "Best Rock
Performance" (female), winning an unprecedented four awards in consecutive
years.

Giraldo, a respected session player, was brought in on
Benatar's multi-platinum-selling album "In The Heat of The Night" as a musician
and arranger in 1978. He and Benatar sparked an immediate connection on stage
and off, put together a band, and relocated to Southern California. The two
have been married now for more than 25 years and are the parents of two
daughters.

Most recently, Benatar released her long-awaited
autobiography, "Between a Heart and a Rock Place," where she talks about her
life, rock 'n' roll, and how her generation changed music forever.

The Reid Group sponsors Artpark's concert event with
Benatar and Giraldo. Artpark is proud to welcome the Niagara Falls Air Reserve
Station commander and personnel and the base reserve's recruiting office.

Artpark's Outdoor Amphitheater opens to the public at 4
p.m. on event nights, and can be accessed via the upper park's Portage Road
entrance off Center Street or through South Fourth Street nearest the Mainstage
Theater. Tailgating and carry-ins (food and beverages) are prohibited at all of
Artpark's free concert events. On site parking is $10 for the lower lot (Fourth
street) and $8 for the upper lot (Portage Road).